Description

Strength without the weight.

Nearly 200 grams lighter than Easton's alloy counterpart, the Haven Carbon 29in Wheelset is light, however, that's not the full extent of these wheels' appeal. Their carbon rim is also incredibly strong. And, in the world of long-travel 29ers, this is a perfect match for aggressive all-mountain rigs where light weight without sacrificed durability is paramount.

For strength, Easton used its proprietary Armored Ballistic Composite. This material is similar to what's used in military applications for ultra-light body armor. Not only does it provide excellent rigidity for line holding through toothy rock gardens, but it also makes the Haven Carbon highly resilient to impacts with rocks and other trail debris.

But, strength isn't the sole reason for using a carbon composite. Weight is the number one reason Easton is using it for the rim. This gives the Haven the lowest-possible rotational weight (around 1590 grams per pair) for quick accelerations. The carbon rim is also UST tubeless compatible, and its generous 21-millimeter inner rim width easily accommodates large-volume trail tires.

However, a rim is only one contributing factor to a wheels ride-quality. Fast-engaging hubs rotate around ultra-durable cartridge bearings, while threaded nipples and strong straight-pull spokes round out this wheelset. And, like all Easton wheels, the Haven Carbon is built by hand using a proprietary acoustic tensioning and truing method. This ensures that the wheel is structurally sound and tuned (pun intended). Even more impressively, the Haven is also backed by Easton's impressive two-year warranty.

Here's what others have to say...

View

Pretty Good with Some Bads

Familiarity:
I've put it through the wringer

The goods... This wheelset finds an interesting niche between the ultra skinny/XC wheels (typically 19mm internal rim diameter aka IRD) and the heavier duty, Enduro/DH wheels (typically 23-35mm IRD). Until ENVE brought out the M-series their XC was 19mm IRD and their AM was 23mm IRD. The best way I could describe it would be slightly stiffer than Stan's Arch, same 21mm internal diameter, and slightly lighter. The engagement is decent, working on the hubs isn't too difficult, and they look great.

The bads... Easton using a specific true/dish technique involving tightening the drive side spokes to the max then tightening the non-drive side spokes to true/dish the wheel. This might be good for various reasons but it's not ideal for servicing. Most local bike shops don't know how to deal with it and mine broke two of my spokes. For me personally, given the price point, I think Easton needs to figure out a slightly smarter (or just more customer friendly) way of servicing the wheelset.

If there wasn't a recent discovery around the benefits of 24-35mm IRD wheels I would give these a 4 star... Since there is an impending change in the "1600g do it all wheel market" away from this 21mm IRD platform I will give them a 3 star.